Friday, December 31, 2010

As another year comes to a close, we must reflect on the great things that happened in the past 365 days & give thanks to...> the love we receive from our loved ones> the new friendships we have made> the great accomplishments in our lives> the freedom we enjoy> the health that we have been provided> the ability to spend quiet time meeting new & old friends

Thank you for spending some of your valuable time enjoying my postings here at "CharlieCruiser's World" and most of all, thanks for your friendship.

Donna Summer’s career might have cooled off after her stupendous run in the 70s and 80s, but what a mighty run it was.

She accumulated a stellar string of hits including Bad Girls, Hot Stuff, MacArthur Park, Love to Love You Baby, Heaven Knows, Enough is Enough, On the Radio, She Works Hard for the Money, Dim All the Lights, This Time I Know It’s For Real and Last Dance, among others. Earlier this year she released her latest CD, Crayons.

Donna turns 62 today and she not only has kept working, she’s still in magnificent form.

Donna sold out The Hollywood Bowl back in 1979 and has continued to do so as recently as 2008. Here she is from an earlier concert performing Last Dance.

ABBA singer Agnetha Faltskog has fueled rumors of the band reuniting for Prince William's wedding next year by saying that they would be open to reforming for special occasions.

Swedish news website The Local reports that Faltskog said in a magazine interview that one-off events, such as performances for charity, could see the group reunite.

Faltskog told M Magazine, "A reunion, an occasional opportunity, maybe in connection with a charity event, I believe we could consider it.

"We would not reunite for a tour like the Rolling Stones and other old bands do now. However, I could see us doing something together in the future. It is just a feeling I have that it would be fun to get together, talk a bit about the past and maybe perform together."

The news comes amidst rumors that the Swedish foursome could be set to perform the wedding Prince William and Kate Middleton, which will take place on April 29th next year.

Digital Spy reports that Bookmaker Ladbrokes has laid down odds of 66-1 on the band playing at the wedding.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

It's double diaper duty and sleepless nights for How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris and actor/chef David Burtka – but the couple wouldn't have it any other way.

"Everyone says that it's such a blur after it happens," says Harris of becoming parents to fraternal twins Harper Grace and Gideon Scott, born October 12th via surrogate. "I find myself constantly just trying to wrap my mind around it."

After almost seven years together, Harris, 37, and Burtka, 35, began the surrogacy process and were "thrilled" to discover they were having fraternal twins.

"We inserted two eggs, one with my sperm, one with David's sperm and they both took," says Harris. Holding their children in the delivery room shortly after their birth was "just absolute joy," says Burtka. "We had two babies that we made. With help."

The family just moved into a "more kid-friendly" home in the Hollywood Hills and the twins have a new nursery with an old-school Disney theme park décor. "Harper has been fussy but Gideon is the easiest baby in the world," says Burtka. "They're just now starting to recognize us and smile."

"I just love the way they smell. And we can use them as an excuse to get out of almost anything," adds Harris, jokingly. "That's cleared the calendar in a good way."

For more of Harris and Burtka's interview, including exclusive photos of their twins, pick up this week's issue of People Magazine on newsstands Friday.

Jake Shears, the lead signer of the Scissor Sisters has spoken out against homophobic bullying but also his pride at being a role model for gay teens.

In an interview published by ContactMusic, he said: “I’m proud to be that. I know what it’s like to be a teenager, and what it’s like to come out, and the difficulties of it all. And how it feels to be in school and be bullied.

“When I read about suicides and gay teenagers it’s so tragic. I don’t think teenagers realise that it actually does get better. The minute you’re done with high school your life gets better.

“If I’m the go-to for new gays, and if I can be someone that gay teenagers can look at as someone who’s happy and who has made a good life for himself, then that’s great.

“I had people like that for me when I was growing up, and it was very important.”

The Scissor Sisters front man added: “My advice would be to just stick to who you are. There are sacrifices you have to make, there are crosses that you have to bear. You’re always going to be portrayed in a certain way, you’re always going to be pigeon-holed. That’s the price that you’re going to pay.

“But it’s a price that’s worth it. It’s a responsibility. So that would be my advice – remain exactly who you are.”

Earlier in the year, Jake Shears engaged in some canny viral marketing for the band’s new album with a spoof advertisement on a leading gay male escort website.

Born with handsome looks and great talent, Rupert Everett seems determined to blame everyone but himself that he is not the biggest star on the planet.

The man who we first fell in love with in Another Country and who became an even bigger star opposite Julia Roberts in My Best Friend’s Wedding and also starred in An Ideal Husband and The Next Best Thing, continues to complain about the discrimination he says he faces in the film industry.

He compares his acting abilities to those of Colin Firth and Hugh Grant, and complains to the UK’s BBC’s Radio 4 that producers would say they couldn’t find a role that fit him. He says that is because he has been openly gay for most of his career.

“I never got a job there, and I never got a job here, after [coming out],” he said. “I did a couple of films, I was very lucky at the beginning of my career… and then, I never had another job here for ten years, probably, and I moved to Europe.”

“The audience has a completely perception of the performers than the business,” he adds. “But the business is what makes the stars, really. There are lots of women and lots of men in the business that the powers that be decide are the right people and they’ll stand with them for quite a long time. … Like Jennifer Aniston will just have one too many total flops. But she’s still a member of that club. And she will still manage to — like a star forming in the universe — a whole lot of things swirling around and suddenly solidifying into yet another vital tasteless romcom: a little glitter next to the Crab Nebula.”

He also disses Oscar front-runner Firth, star of The King’s Speech, for performance in the 2008 smash Mamma Mia! “Colin Firth I don’t think was at all good in Mamma Mia!.

You know, I would have thought it was almost a careericide. … On the other hand, I think (Firth’s) performance in A Single Man was the best performance of his life.”

Rupert does not have a problem with gay actors staying in the closet if they want to: “There are many of them, and I don’t blame them, it’s very sensible. If I hadn’t been someone who liked and if I hadn’t been a kind of sex maniac and all those kind of things and wanted to go to raves and circuit parties, I don’t think there’s anything to wrong with it. It would have been too complicated for me to tell the lie.”

Okay, I have no doubt that Everett has been discriminated against and could have and should have been a bigger star after 1997′s My Best Friend’s Wedding. But he does need to get on with it as so many other talented out stars like John Barrowman, Ian McKellen, Neil Patrick Harris, TR Knight, Luke Macfarlane and others have.

Gleeks already know that Chord Overstreet – or Sam Evans, as he's known at McKinley High – has powerhouse vocals and looks great in tight gold shorts. But do you know about his dog Harley – or his love for river dancing?

In a new Glee video from Fox, Overstreet gets personal, revealing 10 things about himself – like that caffeine makes him sleepy and that he plays the flute – his fans don't know from watching him sing along with Glee club.

Michelle Williams met late boyfriend Heath Ledger on the set of 'Brokeback Mountain,' but so far, it's been too difficult to show their daughter, four year-old Matilda.

The actress, nominated for a Golden Globe for this year's indie hit 'Blue Valentine,' spoke with Angeleno Magazine about, among other things, growing up herself alongside a daughter without her very famous father. In some ways, it's baby steps for the young girl.

"I was just an actor who happened to be lucky enough to be in the right place, and it was the place where I met Matilda's father, and that is a lot," she said. "It was a lot. And it will be a lot for Matilda too, when she gets around to watching it. I will watch it with her, when she's ready. It is hard to imagine what that would feel like, but one day, yes, we will watch it together."

For now, Matilda is maturing in other ways -- one slow day at a time.

"Her hair is down to her chin and she has decided she can have her bangs trimmed, but she doesn't want a bob anymore," Williams explained. A bob is cute for a three-year-old but she is five now... It's crazy how fast time is going for me and how agonizingly slow it is going for her. When she was four she would say 'I am four and a half,' 'I am four and five-sixths,' 'four and seven-eighths,' because all the increments mattered."

With time moving so quickly for Williams, she has grown a lot in her own ways, in large part because of what she went through.

"I've done a lot. I have taken on a lot of things earlier than would be the standard in terms of working, of being in a serious relationship and having a child. I was 25 when I had Matilda and so I feel like I have caught up to myself, and 30 feels like a number that maybe matches all those things a little bit better."

A-List star Reichen Lehmkuhl is none too pleased that an editor for New York’s gay nightlife guide Next Magazine called him and boyfriend Rodiney Santiago “vapid queens,” sending an e-mail to the editor and likening his words to “bullying.”

In calling the Logo reality series one of the worst shows of 2010, Next editor Dan Avery wrote, “The ‘reality’ show everyone loved to hate probably cancelled out 100 ‘It Gets Better’ videos with its cringe-worthy depictions of Reichen, Rodiney and the other vapid queens trying to impress upon viewers why they're important.”

The blurb was picked up by Village Voice columnist Michael Musto and read by Lehmkuhl, who fired off an e-mail to Avery that the editor then sent to Gawker.

Lehmkuhl wrote, “I don't appreciate your bullying words. You can save your 'vapid queens' comment for, well, no one. I can't even imagine speaking this way about other human beings. That you would reduce my existence to someone who is a 'vapid queen' says more about what you don't know about me, along with the kind of person you must be. Is this seriously how a 'senior editor' at a magazine talks about people?”

Colin Firth is keen to shed his serious movie image - he'd love to play "a transvestite or a stripper" on the big screen.

The British actor shot to fame in a 1990s TV adaption of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice and has since gone on to play stoic roles in films like Girl with a Pearl Earring and first-time director Tom Ford's acclaimed 2009 movie A Single Man.

Firth is tipped for Oscar glory next year with his portrayal of stuttering monarch King George VI in new royal drama The King's Speech - but the actor admits he'd like to take on a very different role next.

He says, "I'm dying to be a transvestite or a stripper or a pop star. They (roles) just don't tend to come my way."

He had a taste for the flamboyant when he played a closeted gay businessman in hit Abba movie musical Mamma Mia!

Lady Gaga has a big secret to tell her Little Monsters, but they're going to have to wait. The pop star promised to tell her fans a Born This Way announcement as soon as the clock strikes 12 on New Year's Eve. (We're guessing Eastern Time, in case you're wondering.)

She hinted at the news on Twitter on Christmas (via PopEater): "Merry Christmas little monsters! I love you with all my heart. My gift to you is a BORN THIS WAY announcement Midnight on NEW YEARS EVE. -MM," Gaga tweeted.

Originally, we thought she was going to reveal the name of he new album to ring in 2011, but that already happened at the VMAs earlier this year. So, it's gotta be something bigger and better now.

Will it be a new single? An album cover? Tour date announcements? We don't know...but, we do know that a LOT of Little Monsters will be glued to their Twitter pages on Friday!

The Princess Diaries stars Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews are in negotiations to reteam for an upcoming episode of Glee.

Dame Julie is in talks to play the grandmother of Chris Colfer's gay character Kurt Hummel, while 2011 Oscars co-host Hathaway is reportedly close to signing on to play his aunt, according to the Daily Express.

It's a dream come true for Hathaway, who recently revealed she's desperate to land a guest role on the show.

The Devil Wears Prada had even worked out the whole storyline and the song she'd love to sing.

Hathaway said, "In my head, I've cast myself in Glee and I know what song I'm going to sing! I would wanna play Kurt's long-lost aunt's mother's sister who is also gay, (who) comes back to help him deal with his sexuality, and I would sing You Are Not Alone from Steven Sondheim's epic show Into the Woods."

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Hugh Jackman was left nursing a painful groin injury after a TV cricket stunt with Australian bowler Shane Warne on Sunday went wrong.

The Aussie actor turned out to watch his native country's team's battle with England in the latest test of The Ashes series in Melbourne and he went in to bat during a time-out TV segment with Warne.

But Jackman's pride at playing with his cricket hero soon turned to pain when one of Warne's bowls hit him in the groin. The X-Men star was seen doubled over, but was able to laugh off the incident in friendly banter with the sportsman.

Madonna wasn't able to visit Malawi this Christmas, but she let the children in the six orphanages she funds there know they were very much on her mind this holiday season.

Boxes of toys, chocolate, other sweets and clothes were shipped with a handwritten note from the star, which read, "To my Malawi children on Christmas and Boxing Day. I wish I was with you. See you soon M."

Inside the goodie boxes were miniature Christmas cards signed by Madonna, Lourdes and Rocco.

"How so sweet this woman is!" said Lucy Chipeta, director of Home of Hope Orphanage in Mchinji, where Madonna adopted son David in 2006, as more than 500 children scrambled for toys and bars of chocolate.

Near another orphanage, Consol Homes, more than 1,000 people from surrounding villages were invited to an open-air party. All the orphans and under-privileged children who registered with the center received clothes.

"Madonna says she always enjoys the traditional dances the villagers perform for her when she visits," said Yacinta Chapomba, director of Consol Homes. "She asked us to invite as many villagers as possible for the Christmas party."

The singer planned to return to Malawi in November alongside U2 singer Bono, but the trip, according to sources, was rescheduled for the spring.

"Yes, they were engaged over the holidays and are very happy," her rep has confirmed.

A source adds that the couple, who spent Christmas at home in Los Angeles, "had family and close friends in town who helped them celebrate."

Rimes, 28, and Cibrian, 37, were spotted on a Malibu beach on Monday, where she was wearing a new engagement ring.

The platinum sparkler features a 5-carat oval diamond set in rose gold fleur-de-lis connected to the band, according to a source.

"The couple wanted an antique feel, but a new ring," says the source, who adds that Rimes and Cibrian designed the ring together with the actor's childhood friend Brent Polacheck at Polacheck Jewelers.

On Monday afternoon, Rimes thanked fans for their support, writing on Twitter, "Thank you for all your well wishes!! We are extremely excited and look forward to a beautiful future. It's been an incredible last few days, I was shocked!!! We are blessed, our families are so happy and our lives are filled with love."

Road to Engagement

In November, engagement rumors kicked into high gear after the couple posted a photo on Twitter which showed Cibrian on bended knee holding Rimes's hand. Later that month, Rimes slammed new reports of an impending wedding as "150 percent untrue."

Rimes and Cibrian met while filming the Lifetime original movie Northern Lights at a time when they were both married to other people. The singer has talked openly about the difficulty of falling in love with Cibrian and ending her marriage to Dean Sheremet.

"We make mistakes and we learn from them, but we're human. We fell in love," she said in November of Cibrian. "We're really happy in what we feel privately."

The singer's divorce from Sheremet was finalized in June. Sheremet himself got engaged in November and Rimes congratulated him in a Tweet, wishing him "a life full of happiness."

When she marries, Rimes will officially become stepmother to Cibrian's two children, Mason, 7, and Jake, 3. (Cibrian shares custody with his ex, model Brandi Glanville.)

"We are overwhelmed with happiness and joy at this very special moment," the couple, who exchanged vows in a civil ceremony in 2005, said in a statement. "Zachary is healthy and doing really well, and we are very proud and happy parents."

Just last year, Furish said they were going to wait to start a family until John was ready to come off the road.

"We don't want to put the raising of children into the hands of nannies and housekeepers," said Furnish. "We want to be active parents. We have godchildren [and] kids that we support in Africa, so we're fine."

The Book of Mormon, a forthcoming original musical cowritten by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avenue Q’s Robert Lopez, is the "filthiest, most offensive" and "sweetest" show bound for Broadway next year, according to Vogue.

Vogue describes the musical as "the story of a pair of teenage missionaries who get sent to Uganda, where can-do Mormon pep meets its match in disease, starvation, and warlords who shoot people in the face." One of the lead characters in the show is gay and will attempt to contain his sexuality.

The magazine goes on to call The Book of Mormon "hands down, the filthiest, most offensive, and — surprise — sweetest thing you’ll see on Broadway this year, and quite possibly the funniest musical ever."

While The Book of Mormon is the first Broadway musical by Parker and Stone, they are no strangers to the form or inserting subversive and explicit gay content into their projects, such as their acclaimed 1999 animated musical, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.

The Book of Mormon will begin previews February 24th at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, with an official opening planned for March 24th.

Mickey Rourke has confirmed he's tackling a new movie role based on the true story of a gay rugby player.

The actor met up with Welsh sports ace Gareth Thomas over the summer, prompting rumours the pair was set to bring the athlete's tale to the big screen - and the gossip is true.

Rourke says, "I read the story, it's one of the toughest, hardest sports... and to be a man that plays rugby that is gay, to live with that secret for the amount of years Gareth had, to perform at the high level he performed at, it takes a lot of courage."

Approximately 20 hours of captured video footage has been condenced into a 40 seconds time lapse video of this weekend's blizzard in the Northeast. The video is rumored to be shot somewhere in New Jersey.Check it out:

Monday, December 27, 2010

Jim Carrey who played a man who came out of the closet in the film ‘I Love You Philip Morris’ has spoken out against bullies who target victims on the basis of their sexuality.

“This is a horrible thing to be bullied, and to feel like an outcast is a terrible thing,” the star said. “It’s just so an old thing, an old antiquated way of thinking that you can’t have any more. It doesn’t belong in the new paradigm.

“Every time you look at somebody and think, ‘I don’t like that about that person,’ you just got to know that’s about you,” he added.

“Anybody who bullies anybody for any reason is no friend of mine. Frankly, I can’t imagine hitting a human being for any reason except self-preservation, if I was attacked. Your sensibilities are different when you’re a school kid and there’s gang mentality, but it ain’t cool.

“Some of the most valuable people in my life are gay.

“People that bring magical, amazing gifts and contributions to my life. I would say to kids out there when they’re engaging in these kinds of isolations of people, someday you’re going to want those people in your life. You’re going to need those people in your life, and you’re not going to want that on your conscience.”

In a world of celebrities behaving badly, these 20 stars balanced things out.

Lady Gaga, a leader in gay-rights issues, takes the No. 1 spot on a new list of the "Top 20 Celebs Gone Good" in 2010, honoring stars for their charity work. Alicia Keys, who is devoted to fighting HIV and AIDS, was the runner-up.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Ricky Martin already has beautiful 2-year-old twin boys Matteo and Valentino – but he may be ready to expand his family again.

"Even though I started with surrogacy, adoption is probably my next step," Martin told Extra after performing with other stars for the CBS special A Home for the Holidays, which raises awareness about adoption.

"I had to be here as a father … 20,000 children have been beautifully impacted by this project. Adoption is beautiful. Give it a try!" Martin, who turns 39 on Christmas Eve, added.

He also revealed the big present he's hoping for this year: "I just want my children to be happy. I want my children to be healthy."

When he was a hot, young leading man on television’s Dr. Kildare then later on such classic miniseries as The Thorn Birds and Shogun, actor now openly gay actor Richard Chamberlain remained firmly in the closet.

In a new interview with Brandon Voss for The Advocate, the now 76-year-old Chamberlain surprisingly advises gay actors who are leading man types to do in 2010 what he did in the 60s, 70s, and 80s: stay in the closet!

“It’s complicated,” he says. “There’s still a tremendous amount of homophobia in our culture. It’s regrettable, it’s stupid, it’s heartless, and it’s immoral, but there it is. For an actor to be working is a kind of miracle, because most actors aren’t, so it’s just silly for a working actor to say, “Oh, I don’t care if anybody knows I’m gay” — especially if you’re a leading man. Personally, I wouldn’t advise a gay leading man-type actor to come out.”

Brandon follows up by asking: “When can a leading man come out – when he’s 69 and promoting a memoir?” (As Chamberlain did in 2004 with Shattered Faith)

“I have no idea,” the actor says. “Despite all the wonderful advances that have been made, it’s still dangerous for an actor to talk about that in our extremely misguided culture. Look at what happened in California with Proposition 8. Please, don’t pretend that we’re suddenly all wonderfully, blissfully accepted.”

Arrrg! With the success of such openly gay stars as Neil Patrick Harris, John Barrowman, Alan Cumming and others who can play straight or gay roles, this is exactly the kind of attitude that will never change things.

I wish Chamberlain, who will be guest-starring on ABC’s Brothers & Sisters as a love interest for Saul (Ron Rifkin), were more encouraging of actors coming and working to help change this viewpoint. Maybe Brothers & Sisters cast member, the openly gay Luke Macfarlane, can talk some sense into him!

To read the rest of Brandon’s interview with Chamberlain, go to Advocate.com.

Production on an upcoming biopic of Judy Garland, starring Anne Hathaway, has been pushed back to allow the actress and movie executives extra time to deal with the "sensitive project".

The Devil Wears Prada star last year signed on to play the Wizard of Oz legend in a big screen adaptation of biographer Gerald Clarke's 2001 book Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland.

Work on the movie has yet to begin and Hathaway reveals production may not start until late 2012 - to make sure the film correctly portrays Garland's life story.

Speaking on BBC Radio Four's Front Row radio show, the actress says, "It's a very sensitive project and there have been so many stories told about her life that we're really trying to get it right.

"So we're taking our time with it. I know it seems like it's sort of an endless process but it's very, very slow incremental steps.

"I had a meeting about it a couple of weeks ago and we're all very motivated."

Hathaway also opened up about the struggles of playing Garland on the big screen, adding, "I certainly don't sing like Judy Garland... But I think people might cry murder if they don't get to hear Judy's beloved voice so the talk is for me to sing but I don't know if that's exactly what will happen."

Antoine Dodson, who knows a thing or two about home invasions, wants you to keep an eye out for anyone trying to sneak down your chimney this weekend.

Dodson, 24, the star of the super-viral "Bed Intruder" song, one of People Magazine's Best Internet Memes of 2010, is out with this comical new video, first aired on George Lopez's Lopez Tonight, in which he warns large jolly people in red suits to stay away from his home this holiday – unless it's the Kool-Aid Man.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

David Beckham will apparently not be satisfied until his entire body is inked. He posted this moody shot to his Facebook page last week, saying, "I want to let you all in on something. Just had a new tattoo done by the legendary Mark Mahoney. Took six hours!"I don't know about but I must say that regardless of how many tattoos David has on his body, he is still on of the hottest men in the universe!

CBS announced its midseason lineup on Tuesday, including debut dates for the Criminal Minds spinoff and the new comedy Mad Love plus new nights for Blue Bloods and The Defenders.

Blue Bloods, the season’s No. 2 freshman series among viewers and Friday’s top program in viewers and adults 25-54, will move to Wednesdays at 10 for four consecutive weeks beginning Jan. 19 and return to its regular Friday time period on Feb. 11.

The Defenders, currently airing Wednesdays, relocates to Fridays at 8 starting Feb. 4. Rules of Engagement will also move from Mondays to Thursdays at 8:30 beginning Feb. 24.

Registrar of Newspapers in India denies permission for popular gay e-magazine to be published in print

The Delhi High Court may have ruled in favor of India's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, but their battle for acceptance is far from over. The latest setback has come from the Registrar of Newspapers in India (RNI), which seems to have denied the community the right to express itself.

With the RNI recently denying India's most popular online LGBT magazine "Pink Pages" the permission to publish print version of the magazine, activists across the country are crying foul. "The worst part is that no reason was given for rejecting the application. The least we deserved was an explanation. We have been following up with the authorities for months now," said Harish Iyer, a Mumbai-based columnist for the magazine.

The monthly e-magazine was launched in July 2009 and created a record of sorts as more than 10,000 e-copies of the magazine were downloaded. Following its success, the Pink Pages team decided to publish print versions of the magazine, but their application to print the issue was rejected by government authorities late in October. With there being no response from the authorities concerned, the team has decided to take legal recourse.

Bangalore-based Editor-in-chief of the magazine Udayan Dhar said that the first step was to file an RTI application. "We will go through the right channels to find out why our application was rejected. I doubt if the authorities would tell us the real reason behind the denial. But we have a team of legal experts ready to fight for our rights," he said.

Some magazines catering to the LGBT community are already in print, Dhar said, adding that they got permission as they did not declare the exact nature of the content, but registered themselves under categories like gender and sexual health. "We were clear that we are a magazine for the lesbian and gay community," said Dhar. The magazine has also received support from the LGBT community to launch signature campaigns and protests against the RNI's decision, he added.

Meanwhile, gay rights activists from across the country came out in support of Pink Pages. "I am not sure if their application got rejected because it's an LGBT magazine. There are similar magazines being printed in other cities. But I feel it is their right to publish their magazine's print version. If magazines promoting Maoist ideologies and communalism can get permissions, then why not a harmless pro-LGBT community magazine?" said Ashok Row Kavi, a founder member of Bombay Dost, India's first gay magazine.

In all, there are seven LGBT magazines in the country, of which some are online, while others are being printed. While Fun and Fantasy are published from New Delhi, Jiah and The Queer Chronicle (both Pune-based) and Gaylaxy (from Kolkata) are e-magazines.

Activists say that a certain mindset against queer literature might work against such magazines. "When we organised the first film festival for the LGBT community, we were asked if we would screen pornographic films. I think a huge problem we face is that people associate nudity and porn to gay literature or movies. I suggest we first create acceptability about our content by spreading awareness, and then fight for our freedom of expression," said Keith D'Silva, editor of The Queer Chronicle.

Sagar, co-ordinator of recently conducted Q-fest in the city, agreed that the misconception people have about queer literature being pornographic in nature could be a reason Pink Pages was denied permission. "Such reservation does not entirely stem from the nature of the magazine, but from its content. We have to convince the authorities that our content is suitable for all age groups and a mass audience," he said.

Thomas Roberts has been upgraded to full-time status at MSNBC, becoming an anchor during the network’s daytime programming hours.

Roberts has served as a part-time anchor for the network since April. Roberts filled in for Keith Olbermann last month after the Countdown host was suspended for making political contributions without prior approval.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Jake Gyllenhaal was thrilled when he came across the script for Love and Other Drugs because, at the time, he was questioning love in his own life. Since then, he's cozied up with Taylor Swift so we doubt he's still asking those same questions these days...

He told BANG Showbiz: “I just think there comes a time in different people’s lives where they say do I have real love? Do I want real love? What is real love? With the script I seemed to be in a time when that was a pressing question. “

Jake felt such a deep connection with the movie that he broke down in tears when he first read the script as it was so close to his frame of mind at the time.

He explained: “With this, I very rarely have a moment where I get excited and I go, ‘Somebody wrote this for me and they don’t know it.’ And I felt that way when I read this the first time and I was loving the character at first and then I was crying at the end because I felt like when he says, ‘Sometimes your life doesn’t go the way you expect it too,’ and usually it doesn’t. And if you follow life and not really think it should be that way then it’ll all work out in the end. That just really moved me to the core and I couldn’t not do it.”

On the last shopping week for Christmas, there's no better gift than to give your loved ones some great "sounds" and "visual" effects. So, here is what's new on Blu-Ray, CD and DVD today including "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" starring Michael Douglas, Shia Labeouf, Josh Brolin and Eli Wallach.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

A raise for Lynette, Bree, Susan and Gabrielle may not top your Christmas list this year but for the stars of ABC’s Desperate Housewives, it certainly would help to ring in the new year. Contracts for Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and Eva Longoria expire at the end of the season, and EW has learned that renegotiations have already begun.

ABC hasn’t officially said whether the drama will return for an eighth year, but all signs indicate that it’s a sure thing: Creator Marc Cherry is committed to Wisteria Lane through 2013 and the drama remains the most-watched series on Sundays (12.9 million). It’s also the No. 1 non-sports program on the night in adults 18-49 (4.3 rating/10 share) and dominates its time period across all key female demographics. The show also commands a hefty ad rate that’s well north of $200,000 per 30-second spot and ranks among TV’s highest-rated scripted series among adults in homes with an $100,000-plus annual income.

Since the four stars earn the same amount — reports peg their salaries at roughly $400,000 each per episode, which makes them among TV’s highest paid stars — its likely the women will negotiate together. From what EW hears, the women continue to get along well and are dedicated to seeing through Cherry’s vision. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, Cherry’s eager to find new hits for the Alphabet network. He has a script in development dubbed Hallelujah that would center on a small town “which finds itself being torn apart by the forces of good and evil,” according to Variety . Things improve, however, when a stranger comes to town “looking to bring justice, peace, and a little bit of faith” to the residents. The project is set up at ABC Studios through Cherry’s huge overall deal.

It might be hard to believe, but Madonna’s daughter, Lourdes (a.k.a. Lola) Leon, is actually just like any other teenage girl — hello, Harry Potter and Katy Perry.Of course, not every teen already has co-created a junior’s collection for Macy’s this fall, but even she isn’t immune to the style dilemmas of adolescence!“I don’t know if any of you saw my hair yet but its mad dark right at the moment. I’m almost sick of it and now I want royal blue hair but not a streak, like my entire head,” she muses. “I’m sure if I get that hair color I’ll be sick of it after about two weeks.”And how does mom Madonna feel about her Lola opening up for all the internet to see?“I read this blog aloud to my mother and she is sitting here staring at me with no expression on her face, as if she doesn’t approve of it!” she writes. “So now you all know what I have had to put up with for the past 14 years of my life :D”

Earlier this year, TV star Nicollette Sheridan sued her former 'Desperate Housewives' employers--including the show's creator Marc Cherry, Touchstone Television Productions, ABC Studios and ABC Entertainment--for $20 million in relation to her firing.

RadarOnline.com reports that on Friday, new papers were filed, dropping some of the more shocking accusations from the original lawsuit. The actress previously claimed assault and battery, emotional distress, gender violence and wrongful termination.

In the new papers, Sheridan removed the claims of physical injury and emotional distress--and as a result, she will not have to submit to a physical and psychiatric evaluation.

She previously stated that she suffered--and continued to suffer--physical injury and emotional distress and in response, the defense demanded a physical and psychiatric evaluation.

By tweaking the suit, she will avoid any evaluations. Sheridan states in the new papers that while those claims are still valid, she is removing them to streamline the case. The defense agreed and the case will move forward as planned.

In the original lawsuit, Sheridan claims Cherry created a hostile work environment by "behaving in an extremely abusive and aggressive manner toward the individuals who work on the show."

Things worsened between Sheridan and Cherry in the fifth season. Sheridan claims on September 24, 2008, he physically assaulted her after she questioned him about something in the script. According to the lawsuit, "Cherry took her aside and forcefully hit her with his hand across her face and head."

Friday, December 17, 2010

Simon Cowell has put his Faith in George Michael, by making him a judge on the forthcoming American version of X Factor.The former Wham! star, 47, will join the talent show mogul and Cheryl Cole, 27, on the debut series next year.

It will allow the troubled singer to re-launch his career after his jail stint earlier this year for drug-driving.

A source said: "George is going to take the job. It's an amazing opportunity to get back in the limelight and reverse his recent bad spell. Simon knows that Americans love him. He is as big in the US as he is over here.

"He is a true star and has the wit and experience for the job. It's the perfect platform to resurrect his career."

Simon, 51, is believed to have offered him a hefty deal when he visited George at his home in November to discuss the role.

The Freedom star, who sang with winner Joe McElderry on last year's final show of the UK version, is a huge fan of reality TV as well as Coronation Street. George will have to apply for a US work permit - and due to his recent brush with the law it could take longer to obtain.

Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, 67, and Noel Gallagher, 43, have also received calls about a judging role.

The ex-Oasis star is mulling over the offer after his management met show chiefs. Noel has twice refused to allow an X Factor Oasis night because the band were still on the road.

A source said: "Simon is determined to have a panel of amazing judges.

"The show has to go off with a bang especially as Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler will be on American Idol."

British monarchy drama "The King's Speech" and boxing film "The Fighter" are leading the nominations in the motion picture categories at the 2011 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, earning four nods each.

Both movies will compete for the coveted Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture prize, alongside Black Swan, The Kids Are All Right and Facebook-inspired film The Social Network.

The King's Speech star Colin Firth is among nominees in the best actor category, which also saw nods to Jeff Bridges (True Grit),

Robert Duvall (Get Low), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) and James Franco (127 Hours), while The Fighter star Mark Wahlberg missed out on a mention.

Trailing with three nominations each are The Kids Are All Right and Black Swan, which earned respective stars Annette Bening and Natalie Portman mentions in the best actress category, next to Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole), Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone) and Hilary Swank (Conviction).

The nominations were announced on Thursday morning by guest presenters Rosario Dawson and Angie Harmon. The prizegiving ceremony will take place on January 30th.

The main list of nominees for the 17th Annual SAG Awards is as follows:

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture:Black Swan, The Fighter, The Kids Are All Right, The King's Speech & The Social Network

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role:Jeff Bridges - True Grit, Robert Duvall - Get Low, Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network,Colin Firth - The King's Speech & James Franco - 127 Hours

Gwyneth Paltrow has confirmed she's considering using her new-found singing skills to tackle a role in the upcoming movie adaptation of hit Broadway musical Rock Of Ages.

The show, which features songs from artists including Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister and Poison, is set for a cinematic make-over with Tom Cruise in talks to join the project.

Paltrow has now revealed she's also considering signing up, after proving her musical prowess in new movie Country Strong.

She tells Entertainment Weekly, "It sounds cool. I just got the script and I will read it on the plane home tomorrow. But it sounds like it could be fun."

Alec Baldwin is also reportedly in negotiations to join the cast, while producer Jenno Topping remains hopeful that Tom Cruise will make his involvement official: "(He is) in discussions. It's real. Although, it is not cemented."

Blake Edwards, the master craftsman who gave the world such stylish screen fare as Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Pink Panther series with Peter Sellers, and Victor/Victoria with his wife Julie Andrews, died Thursday morning with Andrews and his grown children at his bedside, reports Variety. He was 88.

No further details have been provided.

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but with a grandfather and father in the Hollywood movie business, William Blake Crump (the name Edwards came later) practically had celluloid flowing through his veins. After graduation from Beverly Hills High and World War II duty in the Coast Guard, Edwards sold two scenarios for Westerns.

Even bigger breaks were still ahead. When leading man Dick Powell was looking for a new vehicle, Edwards wrote the Richard Diamond radio series for him. From there he moved into writing and directing more B pictures and TV series, including Peter Gunn and Mr. Lucky, both of which he created.

His strongest work, until a resurgence in the '80s with S.O.B., '10' and Victor/Victoria, came in the early '60s, when he directed The Days of Wine and Roses, a drama about alcoholism with Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick, and the first two Pink Panther movies with Peter Sellers.

After a stormy 14-year marriage to former actress Patricia Walker, Edwards directed Andrews – already the biggest musical box-office star on the planet thanks to Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music – in the lavish 1969 musical Darling Lili. Though critics and audiences were disappointed by the final product, "It seemed dumb not to admit we were in love," Edwards told PEOPLE in 1977.

"I kept telling him it wasn't going to work," said Andrews. Yet the marriage endured, and the Edwardses lived an enviable lifestyle, with homes in Gstaad, Switzerland, and Malibu.

When he was presented an honorary Oscar in 2004, Edwards said at the podium: "Each and every one has contributed to this moment, friends and foes alike. I couldn't have done it without the foes … My father thanks you, my mother thanks you, the beautiful English broad with the incomparable soprano and the promiscuous language thanks you, and I sure as hell thank you.''

Besides Andrews, he is survived by a daughter, Jennifer, who is an actress; a son, Geoffrey, a writer, director and editor; Andrews's daughter (with her first husband, designer Tony Walton), Emma Walton; and Amelia Leigh and Joanna Lynne Edwards, whom the couple adopted from Vietnam in the early 1970s.

"Do you know how long we've been married?" Andrews said in 2007. "Thirty-seven years. That's staggering to me. Where did it all go? I cannot stress enough what a fine director he is – and not just because I'm married to him!"

In a new interview to promote his Golden Globe–nominated performance in the film Casino Jack, Kevin Spacey tells The Daily Beast he’s still won't talk about his sexuality — and continuing to ask him if he is gay is the same as bullying.

“I think what we have seen in terms of gay teenagers committing suicide because of bullying is anguishing,” he says. “I think young people, if they are feeling like they are confused, need to know that there are people to talk to and that there are places they can go and not feel alone. But I feel that they have just as many rights as I do to not be bullied. And I don't understand people who say, 'Well, this is a terrible thing that is happening to this young person whose life is being exposed,' and then turn around and do it to another person. People have different reasons for the way they live their lives. You cannot put everyone's reasons in the same box. It's just a line I've never crossed and never will.”

The actor, who has repeatedly refused to talk about his sexuality, promises writer Kevin Sessums he’ll make an “It Gets Better” video. He also says that refusing to discuss your personal life and living a lie are two different things.

Glee star Matthew Morrison, aka Mr. Schuester, is finishing up his solo album and is preparing for a tour once the hit Fox series wraps its second season.“I’m going to be touring in the hiatus,” Morrison told Entertainment Weekly. “I’m gonna go all over the world actually. I start band rehearsal in two weeks when we go on our little Christmas break.”Morrison won’t be the only Glee star performing for audiences: the younger cast will recreate their very successful concert show in the UK and Ireland.Meanwhile, Morrison says that his album, due in May according to the actor, is just about finished. “We’re almost done,” he admits. “We have like two more songs to record and then it’s off to the mixing stages. I’m really really happy with it and I can’t wait for people to hear it as well.”

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